Hands up and being honest here, my knowledge of the work of naturopaths is limited at best, but I do know that people have had amazing results from working one-to-one with these knowledgeable people. So, I knew there was only one person I could ask about this. I knew I had to as for a guest interview with Claire from Claire’s Holistic Pursuits.

I had the privilege of meeting this lovely lady a few months ago and she is so incredibly passionate, just brimming with enthusiasm for what she does. Her website is just beautiful and I love the way she writes- honestly, whole-heartedly, but with a bit of a whip of humour and light. (Try her Skin Elixir- it’s amazing! Click here for more details!)

1) Describe yourself in 3 words.

Joy-seeking, passionate + veggie loving!

2) Why did you decide to become a Naturopath and what have you learned in your journey?

I decided while I was still teenager that the natural way was my way. Having my own health concerns + being left with no answers after going the medical route, naturopathy handed them to me almost instantly. I was sold!

It just makes so much more sense to me that the body is a complex interplay of a multitude of systems, how can one part of the body be treated without perhaps examining another? The fact that it’s rarely so cut + dry is why I sometimes think so many people feel the medical world has failed them. Viewing things holistically I’m more about bringing your life + body back into a natural alignment so it can thrive with minimal symptoms + maximum vitality. (Amen! – K)

3) For anyone who doesn’t know about the role Naturopaths play, what do they do and how can they help?

I really view my job as addressing diet + lifestyle related diseases from a holistic view. The nature of a doctor’s prescription targets the one specific organ or system that is diseased. Conversely, I’ll attempt to treat the same disease with natural tools whilst attempting to understand the interplaying factors within your whole being + how they are impacting on your health.

For example, a doctor prescribes antibiotics for a bacterial chest infection: a common + effective treatment. However, their treatment will always be the same if you find yourself getting 6 colds a year, still unable to shake the last one or always just feel run down. That’s where a naturopath’s strengths come into play. I would attack the infection using herbs + nutrients, but would also go on a search as to why you keep getting them in the first place. I’m here to create lasting change + educate you on what’s going on in that amazing body of yours!

My main forms of treatment are generally diet + lifestyle recommendations, herbal medicine + nutritional therapy. As a whole my profession really tries to gauge the root cause of your presentation so we can get you back on the road of lasting health + wellness!

4) Do you have any Naturopath tips for those with flagging energy levels or CFS?

I think a big key is to listen to your body’s messages, be kind + accept that if it’s taken several years (or decades!) to develop, its okay to give yourself enough time + space to work through it too.

We get told the answer to low energy, weight gain or a foggy head is just try harder/ hit the gym for longer/ decrease your calories.

A big one: give your adrenals so much love! These guys are the soldiers that come in to battle against all the stress we fight against each day, and eventually go on strike if they’ve been working too long without a break. Great herbs like Passionflower, Rhodiola + Siberian Ginseng will help to nurture them + you to heal.

It’s a time of continually putting energy back in, every day. Don’t feel guilty for doing it; it comes to be an act of survival to do so!

The main message behind my website is one of self care. Its about giving you some practical tools to understand your body + health better, so you can implement some tweaks + changes to your life that will lead to dazzling vitality.

6) What are your non-negotiables when it comes to your health?

I love a good green smoothie (grab my downloadable recipe card here!), ample rest, daily sunshine, heaps of good fats to feed my skin, moving my body + quelling toxic relationships. The closer to nature my life is + the simpler it is, the easier it is to be healthy!

7) What do you do if you’re having an ‘off’ day?

More + more I’m just starting to go with it. Knowing myself, I’m the kinda gal to have an off day + bounce back the next when I’ve had some time to wade through the funk, understand why I’m feeling sub-par + re-enter the world reinvigorated.

So if you’re feeling crappy, don’t think you have to smother it with a positive affirmation or paste on a smile. Sometimes giving your emotions space to surface allows you to understand more about yourself + why you’re feeling low in the first place.

Overall I believe it’s a fine balance between healthy expression of emotion + taking actionable steps to remedy how you feel.

8) If you could tell the world one thing, what would it be?

I’m a passionate advocate that health cannot truly be addressed without taking into consideration the mental + emotional aspects that make you whole.

How can you stop drinking alcohol if there’s past emotional hurt your attempting to quiet?

How can you reform your relationship with exercise if you loathe the body you inhabit?

How can you kick your sugar addiction if it gets you through your daily stressors?

Yes, dealing with things on a physical level can do amazing things for your health. But lasting change? It’s so incredibly powerful + it comes from within.

9) What’s next for your life and your website?

Ahh, this is an exciting one!! In the grand scheme of things my website is still relatively new, so I am very excited to be bringing my lovely readers some juicy resources in the coming months. Long term my vision is to offer many layers of naturopathic knowledge + care from my online platform, so anyone regardless of location, time constraints or financial position will be able to receive some high quality health information with a big dose of love!

10) What’s one wellness secret that you could let us in on? (Ssshhh!)

I would say to make protein + good fat your friends while saving carbohydrates for your side dish. Filling up on good quality protein + good fat sources leaves you with a steady, slow releasing energy source that will keep your firing on all cylinders for hours.

Blood sugar drops + peaks keep you in a cycle of weight gain, fatigue, foggy thoughts + sugar cravings. So skip the sandwich at lunch time + have a big salad with some sweet potato or pumpkin instead – we need carbs for energy yes, but not as our predominate nutrient!

11) Any words of advice or support for CFS readers

Strip away from your life the advice or jargon of those who have sales targets or a marketing team. Their best interests are not yours. Instead, align yourself with nature as much as possible + unplug from this modern world. You will instead return to life + health as it should be: easy, simple + amazing.

Thank you lovely Claire! (You see? Told you she was pretty special!)

Claire Murray is a qualified naturopath + creator of Claire’s Holistic Pursuits, an online space dedicated to self-care + aiding people in discovering their unique version of health. She aims to make self care practical, understandable + relatable through bringing tools, information + inspiration for natural living. She believes in the inherent ability of the human body to provide the answers from within to achieve dazzling + lasting health.